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Are We There Yet?: A Journey Around Australia
The year I turned eight, Mum and Dad took us on a trip around Australia. Luke, Billy and I missed school for the whole winter term.
Join Grace and her family on their adventurous and sometimes funny expedition. A warm, heartfelt story based on an actual journey undertaken by the much-loved, award-winning author and illustrator, Alison Lester.
Join Grace and her family on their adventurous and sometimes funny expedition. A warm, heartfelt story based on an actual journey undertaken by the much-loved, award-winning author and illustrator, Alison Lester.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
12 people are currently reading
936 people want to read
About the author
Alison Lester
124 books118 followersHas a son Lachie Hume, who is also a published children's book author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
December 1, 2019
Eight-year-old Grace narrates this engaging travelogue introduction to Australia for the picture-book set, chronicling her family's three-month journey around the country, starting out from their home in Binnum (in Victoria, to the west of Melbourne), and traveling westward along the coast. From whale-watching at the Head of Bight and snorkeling at Turquoise Bay, to visiting friends and family in Darwin, Brisbane and Sydney - not to mention making a trip into the interior, to see Alice Springs, and the great Uluru rock, known as the "Heart of Australia" - the family slowly make their way around their homeland, while the reader learns a little bit about the diverse regions and activities to be found in this humongous nation!
Engaging, informative, and entertaining, Are We There Yet?: A Journey Around Australia was chosen as one of our August selections, over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where the theme this month is "traveling," and it certainly fits the bill! I liked the way in which Alison Lester managed to communicate so much factual information, about the different climates and ecosystems to be found around Australia, for instance, without ever breaking from her story. The family here are appealing, and the reader gets a definite sense of all their personalities, from height-fearing mom to impatient little brother Billy, who is always asking "Are we there yet?" Recommended to any child who enjoys stories about traveling, and road-trips, and to anyone looking for picture-books about Australia.
Engaging, informative, and entertaining, Are We There Yet?: A Journey Around Australia was chosen as one of our August selections, over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where the theme this month is "traveling," and it certainly fits the bill! I liked the way in which Alison Lester managed to communicate so much factual information, about the different climates and ecosystems to be found around Australia, for instance, without ever breaking from her story. The family here are appealing, and the reader gets a definite sense of all their personalities, from height-fearing mom to impatient little brother Billy, who is always asking "Are we there yet?" Recommended to any child who enjoys stories about traveling, and road-trips, and to anyone looking for picture-books about Australia.
May 26, 2021
Aw. Better than the travel guide.
May 26, 21
May 26, 21
September 11, 2011
This has given me itchy feet - there is nothing like Australia for travel, it's a must do activity ... over a long period of time ... with the family ... just like Grace in Are We There Yet?
Grace and her family hitch up their pop up camper trailer and head off, literally around Australia. Alison Lester picks out the quirky and interesting snippets of information about the different places, each is accompanied by bright pencil drawings.
With almost a cartoon style layout, with several pictures and accompanying illustrations on each page, this picture book not only flows well but it holds the reader's attention by moving swiftly from place to place. Alison cleverly captures the information that her younger readers enjoy, from the practicalities of spending so long driving,
"We all had our favourite positions in the car."
.. to mum's subtle way out of tasting a witchetty grub ..
" 'No, thank you,' she said. 'I'm still full from breakfast.' "
Grace and her family hitch up their pop up camper trailer and head off, literally around Australia. Alison Lester picks out the quirky and interesting snippets of information about the different places, each is accompanied by bright pencil drawings.
With almost a cartoon style layout, with several pictures and accompanying illustrations on each page, this picture book not only flows well but it holds the reader's attention by moving swiftly from place to place. Alison cleverly captures the information that her younger readers enjoy, from the practicalities of spending so long driving,
"We all had our favourite positions in the car."
.. to mum's subtle way out of tasting a witchetty grub ..
" 'No, thank you,' she said. 'I'm still full from breakfast.' "
February 5, 2021
A delight! A warm, loving (but not aggravatingly perfect) family and their adventures as they travel around Australia. Full of warmth, humor and charming details.
June 8, 2019
Another childhood classic and favourite Alison Lester book!
September 13, 2012
A family account of a vacation traveling all over Australia.
My initial reaction to this book is: INFORMATION OVERLOAD!
However, I feel that Lester does a great job of balancing out the text across the page to make it seem a little less daunting for the reader. I especially enjoyed the illustrations with captions that accurately capture the voice of a young child. For instance, describing rocks as teeth or highlighting the favorite spot in the car, etc...things that children would find important from their perspective.
While, the vacation was fun and they visited dozens and dozens of landmarks, the family doesn't make it there until the end...when they make it back home. I love this as a message to readers, home is where the heart is.
My initial reaction to this book is: INFORMATION OVERLOAD!
However, I feel that Lester does a great job of balancing out the text across the page to make it seem a little less daunting for the reader. I especially enjoyed the illustrations with captions that accurately capture the voice of a young child. For instance, describing rocks as teeth or highlighting the favorite spot in the car, etc...things that children would find important from their perspective.
While, the vacation was fun and they visited dozens and dozens of landmarks, the family doesn't make it there until the end...when they make it back home. I love this as a message to readers, home is where the heart is.
March 17, 2016
A 1001 CBYMRBYGU.
Could there be a better introduction to Australia? Grace and her family travel all around Australia. The book is written like a journal, with diagrams and observations about all the places the family visited, with a lovely chorus line (young brother Billy) of “Are we there yet?”
Heading south on the Tanami Track, the sand
was so deep our car got stuck. Everyone felt
hot and grouchy, and Mum was worried we’d
be stranded in the desert. Luke found a tiny
Thorny Devil, standing fierce as a dragon,
and that cheered us up.
Could there be a better introduction to Australia? Grace and her family travel all around Australia. The book is written like a journal, with diagrams and observations about all the places the family visited, with a lovely chorus line (young brother Billy) of “Are we there yet?”
Heading south on the Tanami Track, the sand
was so deep our car got stuck. Everyone felt
hot and grouchy, and Mum was worried we’d
be stranded in the desert. Luke found a tiny
Thorny Devil, standing fierce as a dragon,
and that cheered us up.
January 16, 2023
I dug this out of a box up in the loft, wanting to see if it held up to my fond memories of it, and intending to mentally check off all the places I’ve been. I almost cried.
This is an excellent, excellent book - and that’s not just the nostalgia speaking. The illustrations are beautiful, and capture the awesome Australian landscape so, so well. The character of the places pictured in the book, now that I’ve seen at least 75% of them with my own eyes (mostly in the past 3 years give or take), translates so incredibly well.
I was very surprised to see places like Murphy’s Haystacks included; my mother and I stumbled upon them in February last year and thought we’d found something really cool and underrated - as it turns out I’d been reading about it for years (in my mind it was always about the Devils Marbles). The way the Flinders Ranges was depicted was notably special - Lester really encapsulated the wistful eerie-ness of the place, another spot I completely forgot in the book but now I remember really moving me as a child.
Perhaps I’m constructing false memories here, or narrativising my life in a way that it never was, but I would not be at all surprised if my love for travelling around Australia, and soaking up all the things our country has to offer, was started by this book. It really is incredible, and I’ll definitely be reading it to my kids if I ever have any.
This is an excellent, excellent book - and that’s not just the nostalgia speaking. The illustrations are beautiful, and capture the awesome Australian landscape so, so well. The character of the places pictured in the book, now that I’ve seen at least 75% of them with my own eyes (mostly in the past 3 years give or take), translates so incredibly well.
I was very surprised to see places like Murphy’s Haystacks included; my mother and I stumbled upon them in February last year and thought we’d found something really cool and underrated - as it turns out I’d been reading about it for years (in my mind it was always about the Devils Marbles). The way the Flinders Ranges was depicted was notably special - Lester really encapsulated the wistful eerie-ness of the place, another spot I completely forgot in the book but now I remember really moving me as a child.
Perhaps I’m constructing false memories here, or narrativising my life in a way that it never was, but I would not be at all surprised if my love for travelling around Australia, and soaking up all the things our country has to offer, was started by this book. It really is incredible, and I’ll definitely be reading it to my kids if I ever have any.
August 26, 2012
Taking a semester off from school and traveling around the country is a romantic idea. I'm not sure how many people actually get an opportunity to do this, so it was fascinating to watch this family's journey. The narrative was long and might be too detailed for younger children, but we were fascinated by the different entries. There was a good combination of pictures and narrative, so we could track the trip and get an idea of the things they saw. I doubt that I would be quite as adventurous as this family was, although if we had a class A RV I'm sure I could be persuaded.
Overall, this was an entertaining story and we really enjoyed reading this book together.
This story was selected as one of the books for the August 2012 - Traveling reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
Overall, this was an entertaining story and we really enjoyed reading this book together.
This story was selected as one of the books for the August 2012 - Traveling reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
November 1, 2008
This book allows you to take a trip all the way around Australia (and to the center to Uluru too!) This is a story of a family vacation. Each page has a map to show their progress around the continent and there are many pictures to show the different things in nature, cities etc. that they experience.
Really made me want to go there or at the very least check out a photographic journey through Australia!
I saw this book at random at the library and had to check it out because my blog title is "Are We There Yet?"
Really made me want to go there or at the very least check out a photographic journey through Australia!
I saw this book at random at the library and had to check it out because my blog title is "Are We There Yet?"
July 21, 2010
format: picture book
age: grades k-3
protagonist: Grace
Grace and her family decide to take a three month camping trip around Australia. While this book is informative about the different sites in different areas and the geographical locations of the places, it does not offer a great deal of information about each of the places they visit. May be good for a VERY basic introduction to Australia, but I would not recommend it as it did not seem to satisfy my interest in Australia (and I've been there and to some of the same places listed in the book). The illustrations are good and at times are more insightful than the text. I guess I wanted to feel more like I was taking the trip with them rather than getting the "speedy gonzalez" version of the trip.
age: grades k-3
protagonist: Grace
Grace and her family decide to take a three month camping trip around Australia. While this book is informative about the different sites in different areas and the geographical locations of the places, it does not offer a great deal of information about each of the places they visit. May be good for a VERY basic introduction to Australia, but I would not recommend it as it did not seem to satisfy my interest in Australia (and I've been there and to some of the same places listed in the book). The illustrations are good and at times are more insightful than the text. I guess I wanted to feel more like I was taking the trip with them rather than getting the "speedy gonzalez" version of the trip.
October 15, 2011
Now I totally want to go drive around Australia for three months! In Are We There Yet?, based on events from her real family travels, Alison Lester gives a rapid-fire tour of Australia. I'm not sure I would purchase this title for an elementary school collection only because it doesn't support the curriculum and few students would have a connection to the title. But I loved the book and travel concept!
My only complaints are that the book felt a little like 'best of' highlights and I was sort of annoyed by the youngest son's occasional 'are we there yet?' comments. The whole story was interesting and novel enough to make these only minor complaints.
My only complaints are that the book felt a little like 'best of' highlights and I was sort of annoyed by the youngest son's occasional 'are we there yet?' comments. The whole story was interesting and novel enough to make these only minor complaints.
July 31, 2012
This was a book for my Goodreads children's picture book group. The story took the reader (along with the book family) around the major sites of Australia. It was informative and the pictures were cute and well done. For a child I think the book might have been too much to handle, at least in one sitting, but I was definitely intriqued with the information.
May 17, 2010
I enjoyed this book, but I wish it had been more. Of course, with a country as big as Australia, it can only scratch even the top surface, but it gave me the feeling that scratching the surface of everything was fine and I am not sure I believe that.
September 18, 2011
Good story about a family travelling across Australia with lots of pictures to keep kids interested and learn a thing or two.
June 18, 2015
IT's really fun and it can guide you in with pictures! My favorite part was when I got to know australia better!
August 8, 2017
So fun! Makes me want to get in the car & drive 😊 Through humor and a bit of imagination, this book lets us enjoy the sights and adventures of Australia without being stuck in the car for 3 months 😊
June 2, 2022
Even though this story was not particularly detailed, this was fun trip around Australia, with stops at many of its greatest sites. The cartoon illustrations did much to enhance this family vacation.
August 2, 2024
Forever and ever favourite book!! It makes me want to drive off to go see it all. Reading before I pass it onto baby Paddy 🩵 Yes, this is to help my challenge!!
August 5, 2019
This is an all-time favourite in our house. We love how the book travels around the country - and since we've done a similar trip its even more fun!
August 28, 2012
Are We There Yet?: A Journey Around Australia by Alison Lester chronicles a family's three month trip around Australia in a travel camper, narrated by eight-year-old Grace.
Lester's colorful, detailed illustrations are done in pencil in a cartoon-like style. The appealing drawings will draw readers into the trip. Most pages have several pictures with text for each. Many pictures focused on the family as they travelled. Occasional maps show the trip's route. A number of animals are featured. My favorite images are cover, map, shark mouth, whales, rock surfing, pinacles, snorkeling, rock art, fireworks, and 12 Apostles.
Quibbles: This is a Very harmonious trip - my family would have had an argument or two, and Billy's question would have gotten real old real quick. The pictures are small and best shared one on one or with a very small group.
This is an engaging introduction to Australia. While not every possible site is shown, it seems to include many highlights of a trip a family might take. (I've always wanted to visit Uluru and Tasmania.) Lester does an excellent job of telling the story of a vacation, while imparting lots of information on climate, habitats, geography and facts. I especially liked how the children's imagination and thoughts were highlighted. The map at the front is a huge plus. This book could easily be used in art, geography or social studies. Recommended for school and public library collections. 4.5 stars.
For ages 4 to 9 (and up), Australia, travel, vacations, family, home-shcooling, adventure, animals, nature, and fans of Alison Lester.
Lester's colorful, detailed illustrations are done in pencil in a cartoon-like style. The appealing drawings will draw readers into the trip. Most pages have several pictures with text for each. Many pictures focused on the family as they travelled. Occasional maps show the trip's route. A number of animals are featured. My favorite images are cover, map, shark mouth, whales, rock surfing, pinacles, snorkeling, rock art, fireworks, and 12 Apostles.
Quibbles: This is a Very harmonious trip - my family would have had an argument or two, and Billy's question would have gotten real old real quick. The pictures are small and best shared one on one or with a very small group.
This is an engaging introduction to Australia. While not every possible site is shown, it seems to include many highlights of a trip a family might take. (I've always wanted to visit Uluru and Tasmania.) Lester does an excellent job of telling the story of a vacation, while imparting lots of information on climate, habitats, geography and facts. I especially liked how the children's imagination and thoughts were highlighted. The map at the front is a huge plus. This book could easily be used in art, geography or social studies. Recommended for school and public library collections. 4.5 stars.
For ages 4 to 9 (and up), Australia, travel, vacations, family, home-shcooling, adventure, animals, nature, and fans of Alison Lester.
March 22, 2009
A travel journal by 8 year old Grace of their family's 3 month holiday around Australia. The story is based roughly on the author's experiences.
The story has, i think, accurately captured an 8-year-old's view of the holiday. The are multiple different 'journal entries' per page - with a picture illustrating each one. There is a map of their journey at the start, and every couple of pages there is a map showing their journey to date.
I've done ~1/2 of this trip at various times through the years, and Alison Lester does a fantastic job at highlighting the unique aspects of the various places visited.
So many Australian's travel overseas as young adults - but so many of them haven't actually seen much of their own country. My wife and I are planning a trip like this once X-man is old enough to remember - so he can explore the world knowing his own country. I may well use this book as part of the planning process for this trip!
The story has, i think, accurately captured an 8-year-old's view of the holiday. The are multiple different 'journal entries' per page - with a picture illustrating each one. There is a map of their journey at the start, and every couple of pages there is a map showing their journey to date.
I've done ~1/2 of this trip at various times through the years, and Alison Lester does a fantastic job at highlighting the unique aspects of the various places visited.
So many Australian's travel overseas as young adults - but so many of them haven't actually seen much of their own country. My wife and I are planning a trip like this once X-man is old enough to remember - so he can explore the world knowing his own country. I may well use this book as part of the planning process for this trip!
October 13, 2016
Meanders around Australia.
No real point. It's a descriptive thing. It's just a little girl telling the story of a trip around mostly the coast of Australia. It's pretty long. It's kind of like somebody telling you about their vacation. It's a little more interesting than that, because you sort of get to see some of it through a little kid's eyes. But it reminds me of when my parents want to show me the slides of their vacation. No thanks, Mom. No thanks, Dad. It's not nearly as interesting to me as it was to you. I guess it's based on her real-life travels, but I'm not sure whether she was a child or an adult at the time.
I don't even think it would be that much more interesting to me if it was set in America rather than Australia. It could be a trip around my hometown and I still don't think it would be that interesting. Well done for what it is.
For more children's book reviews, see my website at http://www.drttmk.com.
No real point. It's a descriptive thing. It's just a little girl telling the story of a trip around mostly the coast of Australia. It's pretty long. It's kind of like somebody telling you about their vacation. It's a little more interesting than that, because you sort of get to see some of it through a little kid's eyes. But it reminds me of when my parents want to show me the slides of their vacation. No thanks, Mom. No thanks, Dad. It's not nearly as interesting to me as it was to you. I guess it's based on her real-life travels, but I'm not sure whether she was a child or an adult at the time.
I don't even think it would be that much more interesting to me if it was set in America rather than Australia. It could be a trip around my hometown and I still don't think it would be that interesting. Well done for what it is.
For more children's book reviews, see my website at http://www.drttmk.com.
October 29, 2018
This is a travel book that is told in a different way which made me think should also be done for another country as vast and diverse as Indonesia. "Are We There Yet? A Journey Around Australia" tells a three-month odyssey around Australia is a love letter to Alison Lester's homeland. The main character, Grace, is excited and sad as she sets out with her family, but she adapts to life on the road, illustrating her journeys with cheery watercolor vignettes that are glossed with just the right amount of childlike detail: “The quokkas came so close to me, I could see their tiny whiskers.” Seating arrangements in the car are given equal weight with the fabulous sights, and their travels are punctuated by Billy’s question: “Are we there yet?”
October 9, 2008
Picture Book. CIP Summary: "Join Grace and her family as they hit the road camping, experiencing, and meeting all the people and places that make up Australia."
Great book if you want to learn all about Australia. There are several small pictures on each page. The author/illustrator has maps throughout the book to show the family's travels around Australia. Difficult to read for read aloud because some of the pictures are so small. Children in second grade or older may prefer to read this book to themselves.
Great book if you want to learn all about Australia. There are several small pictures on each page. The author/illustrator has maps throughout the book to show the family's travels around Australia. Difficult to read for read aloud because some of the pictures are so small. Children in second grade or older may prefer to read this book to themselves.
May 13, 2012
A very enjoyable story about a family that took a family vacation around Australian in a campervan. My four year old loved this book. Especially as she got to say the infamous line on every page "Are We There Yet?" Very educational too, showing some of the most beautiful assets this country has to see. Very inspirational too, as this would be something I would love to do with my girls when they get older.
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September 19, 2014A family with three kids (our narrator is the middle one, named Grace) takes a three-month camping trip around Australia, seeing all the different types of places the country has to offer, and staying with friends all around, or camping by the beach or in the forest. I'm not big on camping, but this sounds like a wonderful thing to do in general. The book is a bit wordy, but very interesting. I'd love to see other books like this about traveling around different countries.
November 16, 2009
FANTASTIC. I picked this up in the children's section of the library and it caught my eye right away. I loved that there was a map in the inside cover and that the story told all about a journey through Australia. As an adult, I loved this format and really enjoyed learning more about Australia's geography and sights from this text. Very well done, super creative!
December 9, 2009
This week (and much of December 09) we have been talking about Australia's animals and the country. (I think every child must go through an "Australia" phase). Needless to say, Australia is fascinating, and this book is a good kid's eye view of it - from the view point of a family that takes a three month journey around the island/country/continent.
March 7, 2011
This book is a great Aussie story about a family who travels around Australia in an old camper trailer, which is their home for 3 months. The author Alison Lester, is remotely related to my family, and the place the journey starts is where I spent some of my childhood, age 2 to age 7!
I've read it many times, and always enjoy it...it always makes me smile!
I've read it many times, and always enjoy it...it always makes me smile!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews